IT is natural in the aftermath of a tragedy to seek answers, but for now there are only questions.

As a day of hard work by investigators and emergency services came to a close yesterday, it was still too early to say what might have caused a police helicopter to crash into the Clutha pub in Glasgow on Friday night, though mechanical failure is suspected.

Meanwhile, there were still people in Glasgow involved in a harrowing wait for confirmation of whether their loved ones had died in the tragedy.

What is now known for certain is that eight people have died in this accident, four of whom have been named as David Traill, 51, the helicopter's civilian pilot, and police constables Tony Collins, 43, and Kirsty Nelis, 36, as well as Paisley man Gary Arthur, 48.

Sadly, no amount of heartfelt goodwill from strangers can ultimately spare their friends and family the awful pain of their sudden loss, but perhaps it may be of some small comfort to them that they are very much in the thoughts of the people of Glasgow.

There has in the last few days been a palpable outpouring of human love and supportiveness towards those caught up in and affected by the crash, both in the brave and caring response of passers-by and emergency services on the night itself, and in numerous gestures from the wider public since, such as offers by Glasgow Taxis Ltd of free transport for the relatives of those involved in the tragedy and by holiday company Horizon Direct of free accommodation for relatives who live outside the city. Funds are also being raised to help the families of those who have died.

It is right and laudable that there should be such a heartfelt response in the immediate aftermath of such a tragedy, reflecting the shock of the incident. As the Glasgow MSP and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon points out, however, those who have been injured or bereaved will also need continuing support over the coming months, after the immediacy of the shock wears off. For them, there is a long process to come.

The injured and the families and friends of those who have died need to know what happened, but it is a feature of incidents of this nature those answers will not be immediate. What is known is the helicopter in question underwent precautionary safety checks last year. Aviation experts believe, based on eyewitness testimony, the crash may have been caused by mechanical failure, but it will take an inquiry by the Air Accident Investigation Bureau to establish the facts and that is likely to take considerable time. Previous investigations have run for months.

Many tributes have rightly been paid to the professionalism of the emergency services and to the staff in four hospitals around the city whose critical incident training kicked in so effectively on Friday night, but their work is far from over. Last night 12 people remained in hospital, three of them in intensive care, and the hopes and prayers of the city are with those individuals, as well as with the bereaved and those still facing a desperately difficult wait to hear if their loved ones are among the dead.